Bright Moments Posted January 23, 2008 Report Posted January 23, 2008 (edited) where to start? Edited January 26, 2008 by Bright Moments Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted January 23, 2008 Report Posted January 23, 2008 Only one place if you are serious. Quote
Bright Moments Posted January 23, 2008 Author Report Posted January 23, 2008 do tell please uncle chuck! Quote
Larry Kart Posted January 23, 2008 Report Posted January 23, 2008 Only one place if you are serious. Rene Leibowitz? Quote
Bright Moments Posted January 23, 2008 Author Report Posted January 23, 2008 hmmmm...................... Quote
Bright Moments Posted January 23, 2008 Author Report Posted January 23, 2008 boy talk about a pregnant pause! Quote
Bright Moments Posted January 24, 2008 Author Report Posted January 24, 2008 Only one place if you are serious. pretty please tell! Quote
Bright Moments Posted January 24, 2008 Author Report Posted January 24, 2008 i changed the topic title since the response was scant! Quote
7/4 Posted January 24, 2008 Report Posted January 24, 2008 Sure...he's the guy who wrote the music that's used in the ShopRite commercials. Quote
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted January 24, 2008 Report Posted January 24, 2008 Stick to straight porn, is my advice, Evan MG Quote
Niko Posted January 24, 2008 Report Posted January 24, 2008 i first heard of Offenbach in seventh grade when we had a city tour investigating the city's "Jewish Legacy" or something... we started at the Offenbach square which is the place in front of the Cologne opera building (iirc = the place where the city's central synagogue stood before it was destroyed) and the guide started the tour by telling us about Offenbach one of the cities most famous but now largely forgotten Jewish sons... i heard two of Offenbach's operas/operettes at said opera house later, The bandits and Tales of Hoffmann... the latter is somewhat odd in structure (its three of Hoffmanns most famous stories and some framing story around it and the parts of the opera are in the languages of the countries where the stories play, Italy, France, Germany...) but this didn't bother me too much, it's great music imho and i would start there (which is i think also what a guide book would tell you?) (The bandits was not bad but couldn't really compete) Quote
T.D. Posted January 24, 2008 Report Posted January 24, 2008 (edited) Well, yeah. It's fairly easy to find info on composers and major works at sites like Naxos. I don't know enough about Offenbach to proffer recommendations, but presume Chuck was referring to The Tales of Hoffmann (opera), which seems by far his best-known work, though it was completed posthumously (see the link). I don't buy many opera recordings any more (prefer to see live), and don't have one of this work. He's famous for operettas, which aren't my cup of tea, and I wouldn't purchase recordings. I saw Orpheus in the Underworld (at Glimmerglass Opera a couple of years ago), but it was an awful campy modern director-theater spoof. Might be more palatable in another format. Edited January 24, 2008 by T.D. Quote
Larry Kart Posted January 24, 2008 Report Posted January 24, 2008 If perchance I'm guessing right about what Chuck had in mind, finding recordings that have the very elusive right spirit is crucial, and Leibowitz (best known for his advocacy of Schoenberg, Webern et al.) had a terrific feel for Offenbach. I have these two recordings on LP (plus some others by him, I believe) and can vouch for them as performances, though I can't vouch for the CD transfers: http://www.amazon.com/Offenbach-belle-Hélè...9543&sr=1-1 http://www.amazon.com/Offenbach-Orpheus-Un...9642&sr=1-3 Also topnotch is the first Cluytens "Tales of Hoffman": http://www.amazon.com/Offenbach-contes-dHo...9758&sr=1-3 This may be available from other labels as well; I have it on a libertto-less EMI reissue from 10 or more years ago. Do not confuse this recording, from the mid-1950s, with the second Cluytens "Tales," with Schwarzkopf et al.; that's a disaster. Quote
michel1969 Posted January 24, 2008 Report Posted January 24, 2008 la "Vie parisienne" is a famous "operette" by Offenbach. if you read or understand french language, it will have a particular XIXth century french savor, spirit and state of mind. if you don't.. well, its nice music. Quote
Niko Posted January 24, 2008 Report Posted January 24, 2008 Well, yeah. It's fairly easy to find info on composers and major works at sites like Naxos. I don't know enough about Offenbach to proffer recommendations, but presume Chuck was referring to The Tales of Hoffmann (opera), which seems by far his best-known work, though it was completed posthumously (see the link). I don't buy many opera recordings any more (prefer to see live), and don't have one of this work. He's famous for operettas, which aren't my cup of tea, and I wouldn't purchase recordings. I saw Orpheus in the Underworld (at Glimmerglass Opera a couple of years ago), but it was an awful campy modern director-theater spoof. Might be more palatable in another format. i followed your (now edited/corrected) assertion that Bizet finished the Hoffmann Tales and stumbled across this guy from wikipedia: Ernest Guiraud (June 26, 1837 – May 6, 1892) was a French composer born in New Orleans, USA. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire, where he won the Grand Prix de Rome. His father had gained the same distinction many years prior to his son winning the award. Notably, this was the only instance of both father and son obtaining this prize. Ernest Guiraud composed the following operas: Sylvie (1864) Le Kobold (1870) Madame Turlupin (1872) Piccolino (1876) Galante Aventure (1882) The ballet Gretna Green, given at the Opera in 1873 His opera Frédégonde was left unfinished and was completed by Camille Saint-Saëns. Guiraud, a fellow-student and intimate friend of Georges Bizet, also collected Bizet's original score and published L'Arlésienne Suite Number Two after Bizet's death. In addition, Guiraud was for some years professor of composition at the Conservatoire. He was a founding member of the Société Nationale de Musique and the author of an excellent treatise on instrumentation. He is perhaps most famous for constructing the infamous recitatives that replace the dialogue in Bizet's opera Carmen. He also wrote the recitatives and completed the scoring of Offenbach's Les contes d'Hoffman which was left unfinished at Offenbach's death. However, it is not necessarily his version that is regularly performed, as various composers and arrangers made their own versions and realisations of the opera. He died in Paris on May 6, 1892. strange, that the same (forgotten?) person finished what (according to the german wikipedia entry on offenbach) are the two most popular french operas... Quote
T.D. Posted January 24, 2008 Report Posted January 24, 2008 i followed your (now edited/corrected) assertion that Bizet finished the Hoffmann Tales and stumbled across this guy from wikipedia: (snip) strange, that the same (forgotten?) person finished what (according to the german wikipedia entry on offenbach) are the two most popular french operas... Yes, I (only) skimmed the Naxos link and misattributed...thanks for not giving me a hard time re. the blunder. Quote
Free For All Posted January 24, 2008 Report Posted January 24, 2008 Yes, I (only) skimmed the Naxos link and misattributed Boy, did I misread that last word....... Quote
T.D. Posted January 24, 2008 Report Posted January 24, 2008 Despite Evan's various sigs and avatars, this doesn't seem like the right forum for that sort of behavior... Quote
Christiern Posted January 24, 2008 Report Posted January 24, 2008 C'mon Chuck, give us the legs up on Jacquie O--I know you can can Quote
medjuck Posted January 24, 2008 Report Posted January 24, 2008 Powell & Pressburger made an interesting film of Tales of Hoffmann as sort of a followup to The Red Shoes. It's available on a Criterion DVD. Quote
Bright Moments Posted January 25, 2008 Author Report Posted January 25, 2008 thanks larry and the rest of y'all for the info! still waiting for uncle chuck to give us the goods! Quote
Bright Moments Posted January 26, 2008 Author Report Posted January 26, 2008 still waiting for Mr. Nessa to return! Quote
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